Display of daisho - An educated discussion
May 8, 2009 18:30:25 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 8, 2009 18:30:25 GMT
I have been pondering this question for sometime now, and in my efforts to find the most accurate answer possible i have combed through countless pieces of literature, and asked many people who are steeped in the history of the Japanese sword & Japanese warrior culture. However, my search has gained me several different possible answers to the question of "How a daisho should be displayed".
Established....
Now, it is pretty much common knowledge (or at least widely accepted) that during times of conflict & war, that the Japanese sword while resting in kake or in a tachi stand would be displayed with its ura (back side) facing the viewer. And the omote (face side) being displayed during times of relative peace. Its said that if a sword was displayed with the ura side out, that it is a sign of expected hostility or possible trouble. And that a guest of the home may look upon this as a sign of being suspect or a potential danger to the household and its family... Whereas the omote side being displayed would symbolize trust, and not show any signs of impending conflict to be expected by either party...
This is the general rule of sword display that i find is agreed with by almost (but not every) person i speak with, and in most all literary references i have researched. So its not really a question, but rather something to consider as i propose the real interest i have in this.
Now....
The question of "left or right" is pretty much out of the way. But what about "top or bottom"?
I find so many people who have differences when it comes to this... And among the several Sensei and Japanese history "buffs" the answers seem to be split down the middle.
This is especially confusing seeing that i always thought that this was a very grounded principal, and that there was only one right way to do it. I myself, had always subscribed to the "long sword on the bottom" method... The idea as i understood it being: That when a Samurai arose from sleep that the companion sword would be the first blade he would equip himself with, & would be the last blade he would remove at the end of the day. The long sword, would be carried to the door and worn last, - or - would be taken off at the door and carried to the kake first. It seems logical to me that the top tier of the kake be reserved for whatever weapon you would place last - or - grab first which = The companion sword.
This way you do not have to reach under, or maneuver the smaller weapon around the longer one above it. And also would make the weapon a lot easier to grab in the event that you needed to defend the household.
However.....
I have seen many instances, and heard from many respected practitioners of the JSA that the other way is also accurate - "The long sword on the top tier". While i can see no obvious advantage of this configuration, i have to believe that there is some validity to this as i have seen countless examples of displaying swords in this manner by highly respected authorities on these arts.
But.....
There are also some that say "it doesn't matter as much as people think" in regards to how a sword is displayed. Some would even say that folks tend to blow the mannerisms of displaying swords way out of proportion, and that the Japanese culture of that day was far less steeped in symbolism and formalities as we think they were. That if you displayed your swords a certain way, all it meant was "that was how you want your sword displayed, or was most convenient for you".
This, i am not sure i agree with at all... Surely we can all agree that the Japanese were down right anal about manners, and this has been proven by such shocking accounts of men being cut down for the slightest infraction or breach of accepted social ethics.
Now, don't want a huge argument to start here, i hope to have an educated & pleasant discussion about the advantages - vs. - disadvantages of displaying swords [Long over short] & [Short over long]. Please don't come in and expect us to take one persons word for it as i have seen many highly respected people disagree with each other on this. But certainly everyone is welcome to "toss their change in the well"... Maybe if we all pool together our combined knowledge we can find a more solid answer...
Established....
Now, it is pretty much common knowledge (or at least widely accepted) that during times of conflict & war, that the Japanese sword while resting in kake or in a tachi stand would be displayed with its ura (back side) facing the viewer. And the omote (face side) being displayed during times of relative peace. Its said that if a sword was displayed with the ura side out, that it is a sign of expected hostility or possible trouble. And that a guest of the home may look upon this as a sign of being suspect or a potential danger to the household and its family... Whereas the omote side being displayed would symbolize trust, and not show any signs of impending conflict to be expected by either party...
This is the general rule of sword display that i find is agreed with by almost (but not every) person i speak with, and in most all literary references i have researched. So its not really a question, but rather something to consider as i propose the real interest i have in this.
Now....
The question of "left or right" is pretty much out of the way. But what about "top or bottom"?
I find so many people who have differences when it comes to this... And among the several Sensei and Japanese history "buffs" the answers seem to be split down the middle.
- About 45% say: "The long sword should rest on the top tier of the kake"
- About 45% say: "The companion sword should rest on the top tier of the kake"
- And around 10% say: "It doesn't matter what goes on the top, or what goes on the bottom"
This is especially confusing seeing that i always thought that this was a very grounded principal, and that there was only one right way to do it. I myself, had always subscribed to the "long sword on the bottom" method... The idea as i understood it being: That when a Samurai arose from sleep that the companion sword would be the first blade he would equip himself with, & would be the last blade he would remove at the end of the day. The long sword, would be carried to the door and worn last, - or - would be taken off at the door and carried to the kake first. It seems logical to me that the top tier of the kake be reserved for whatever weapon you would place last - or - grab first which = The companion sword.
This way you do not have to reach under, or maneuver the smaller weapon around the longer one above it. And also would make the weapon a lot easier to grab in the event that you needed to defend the household.
However.....
I have seen many instances, and heard from many respected practitioners of the JSA that the other way is also accurate - "The long sword on the top tier". While i can see no obvious advantage of this configuration, i have to believe that there is some validity to this as i have seen countless examples of displaying swords in this manner by highly respected authorities on these arts.
But.....
There are also some that say "it doesn't matter as much as people think" in regards to how a sword is displayed. Some would even say that folks tend to blow the mannerisms of displaying swords way out of proportion, and that the Japanese culture of that day was far less steeped in symbolism and formalities as we think they were. That if you displayed your swords a certain way, all it meant was "that was how you want your sword displayed, or was most convenient for you".
This, i am not sure i agree with at all... Surely we can all agree that the Japanese were down right anal about manners, and this has been proven by such shocking accounts of men being cut down for the slightest infraction or breach of accepted social ethics.
Now, don't want a huge argument to start here, i hope to have an educated & pleasant discussion about the advantages - vs. - disadvantages of displaying swords [Long over short] & [Short over long]. Please don't come in and expect us to take one persons word for it as i have seen many highly respected people disagree with each other on this. But certainly everyone is welcome to "toss their change in the well"... Maybe if we all pool together our combined knowledge we can find a more solid answer...